Almost as soon as Steve Jobs finished introducing the Mac mini at January’s Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, eager hobbyists came up with all sorts of novel uses for it. Audio-video jukebox in the living room? Sure. Supercomputing server array in the lab? No problem.
But perhaps the most interesting idea for mobile Mac fans: put a mini in your car, for use as an in-dash entertainment center (imagine wirelessly transferring tunes and videos from your home system to your car), navigation system (with downloaded maps), Internet hub, and game center (for when you’re parked, of course).
Several folks have already turned that idea into reality. Just days after the Mac mini’s debut, Classic Restorations started offering custom Mac mini installs at its Sloatsburg, New York, shop. To date, the company has supervised installs in a 1969 Chevy Nova and a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it’s taking orders for more. Meanwhile, enterprising do-it-yourselfers are doing car modifications of their own.
For example, Mario Echevarria, of Coral Gables, Florida, created his very own Lexus i-car (pictured). Find out more about Mario’s upgrade.